Indian farmer's 'biggest pearl' may be auctioned in London

SURAT: A farmer near Surat has produced a 48-carat pink pearl weighing 15 grams and if all goes well it could land up in an auction house like Christie's or Sotheby's in London.

The natural pearl is developed by Sanjay Desai in his Bhargav Freshwater Aquaculture Farm near Surat. This unique unstudded pearl "is the biggest pearl ever cultured in our farm," said Sanjay Desai.

"We are planning to auction the pearl at Sotheby's or Christies', but for that we need clearance from the Gem and Pearl Testing Laboratory in Bahrain. We will be taking it for testing by the end of this month," Desai said.

"Dr K Jankiraman, former director of Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), Bhubaneswar, has also seen the pearl and appreciated our efforts," Desai, who claims to be the only person to be involved in pearl farming in western India said.

"A 46-carat pearl in Australia was once auctioned for Rs 8 or 9 crores. Ours is bigger than that. It may fetch a better price," Desai added.

In his farm, Desai, also cultivates pearls of different sizes and shapes including Ganesha, Jesus Christ and Sai Baba. Most of them are for export purpose.